Former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco died in the tragedy
Former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez said he has family members that remain unaccounted for after the tragic nightclub collapse in Dominic Republic.
“I still have family members that are still in the rubbles and we don’t know what happened to them, but we just want to be strong,” Martinez, 53, said in a video posted on his Instagram on April 9.
Martinez, who played 17 seasons in the MLB, said Dominican Republic is a country “that prays a lot and remains united all the time,” and he hopes the people of his country will have “courage” as they continue recovering from the tragedy that killed more than 100 people, according to NBC,
“We’re all sad, we’re all affected by the tragedy,” Martinez, who has a foundation benefitting youth in Dominican Republic, said, adding, “Our hearts are with you and we are all affected.”
The disaster occurred as merengue artist Rubby Pérez, who also died Tuesday in the tragedy, performed at Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 8. Officials said it’s too early to determine what led to the roof’s collapse, per the Associated Press.
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Among the deceased victims identified by officials was Tony Blanco, a former Major League Baseball player and father of current Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Tony Blanco Jr., and former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, who was pulled from the rubble but died on the way to the hospital.
Nelsy Cruz, the sister of former MLB slugger Nelson Cruz and governor of the northwestern Dominican Republic province of Montecristi, was another of the victims.
National police said on Tuesday that authorities “reiterate that search, rescue and medical care work continues uninterruptedly.”
“Our city wakes up to a terrible tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. My deepest sympathy goes out to the families still waiting for news of their loved ones,” Santo Domingo Mayor Carolina Mejía de Garrigó wrote on X, per a translation.
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